Guilty!

Someone stole my Skinny Pop!  Look at that face!  Trying to look so innocent!  

Not a frame job!  Guilty as charged!  I have the proof!  Ha!  Even my little nephew knows this stuff is delicious.  I was super bummed to know that I couldn't have Barely Naked popcorn from Popcornopolis because of the higher saturated fat content.  Then I was super pumped when Joy told me about Skinny Pop!  I love it!  Super yummy and I can have 4 cups for a snack.  You can find it a Sprouts and most Fry's in the health section.  Yum!

Feel the BURN!

Started up at a new gym over the weekend and I LOVE it!!  There are so many more machine options and being in this new atmosphere really, really inspires and motivates me.  I heard a quote from a trainer on Friday that impacted me...."Don't say goodbye until the pain says hello." So true!  I know that my mind gives out way faster than my legs do.  It is such a mental thing for me.  No need to stop until you feel the burn for a while...then you know your body/muscles are really working.

Exercise?

I went bowling with a friend last night.  It was a ton of fun because I hadn't done it in years!  We used to go in NY sometimes but like I said....it was a LONG time ago.  We decided to play unlimited games for 2 hours.  Wow...I had no idea that it could actually be a way to get some steps in and work on your arms.  Ha!  We swung those balls around for 2 hours and I was feeling it at the end of the night.  I am sure it was because it was in addition to my morning workout that day..but regardless, it was a great way to get some extra "moving around" in.  Fun!

What will you choose?

I saw this a couple months back and posted it on my Instagram.  I thought I would share it here too.  It is so true!  EVERYTHING in life can be hard...we just have to choose what is worth it to us in life and keep working at it.  Where do you want to be in life? What hard do you choose?

Ya gotta get it done!

I was super tired last night.  I did some shopping after work and waited to meet up with my workout partner.   By the time I got to the gym, it was busy and I had to wait for a treadmill.  I did my weights and other strengthening exercises (squats, lunges, etc)  but the treadmills were still busy.  I did the elliptical a bit until one finally opened up.  See Mr. Sweaty Shirt in the background?  He was walking on that bad boy for 60 minutes at an incline of 13.  What? Awesome workout for him...but sucked to wait because he was kind of being a treadmill hog.  Ugh!  I was so tired last night but I HAD to get my workout in.  I didn't get back home until about 10:00 but I felt great knowing that I had sweat and gotten my heart rate up. What is the take away? Don't wait to work out too late...and hope that there isn't a treadmill hog there if you do.  Ha! See I'm still smiling even though I was so tired I wanted to fall over....stay positive and Get It DONE!

Go Gilbert! Sept 2013 Issue

I just got this proof from Go Gilbert! magazine for their Sept 2013 issue.  Very cool!  I love how they displayed the pics that Cat Jones took for me.  Great job!  You can read an online version of the article by clicking HERE and flipping to page 28....or you can click HERE to see the exact article.

Seeing the difference....

This post is a bit revealing!  I wish that I had actually gotten ready for the day before I took the picture on the left side instead of just rolling out of bed and snapping away.  Little did I know that the picture would become so important to me.  The pic on the left (where I am displaying an amazing hairdo) was taken on the morning of 6/26/13, just 2 days in to the program.  The pic on the right is from 9/4/13.  I have lost 51 lbs!

I haven't felt too discouraged or "down" on this journey yet.  However, I fell in to a trap of comparing my weight loss to that of a friends and I felt bad.  I was so excited for her weight loss but her body transformation is MUCH more obvious than mine even though her weight loss number is much less than mine.  It made me feel horrible because I haven't been able to tell much of a visual difference other than my face slimming a bit.  I decided to look at my week 1 pictures and put them side by side with my pics from today...this is what I saw.  I could totally see a difference.  How awesome!  Like I told Joy in an email today... " I need to work hard, stay focused, give myself more credit for my effort, not get discouraged, stay teachable, and realize that I am doing a fantastic job of finally taking care of and loving myself."

She responded with the sweetest and most supportive email.  What an amazing woman!  I will cherish this experience and her words/notes forever!  So...here is to another 51 lbs...I better get moving!

Slashing my sodium with Mrs. Dash!

I ran on to these SALT FREE seasoning packets by Mrs. Dash.  They are great!  They have about 10 different kinds of packets and they are all salt free.  I have a few that I like to sprinkle on my turkey burgers or egg whites to give them a boost of flavor.  I'm always trying to find new ways to add flavor without adding sugar or sodium.  This seems to be a pretty good one. Yum!

Baggy much?

 My shorts have been droopy for a few weeks now.  They started to sag a bit but now it is almost too much. I had a new surprise yesterday when I was getting ready for church though...this top was enormous!

I had worm this top on 6/23/13, the day before we started the program, and it fit nicely on the top but snug around my waist and back.  I remember wearing it to church and holding a hymnal in front of my stomach so that people would not see how snug it was when I sat down.  Well, I put it on yesterday thinking that I could wear it to church and it drowned me.  The arm holes are super big, the neck is so big that it shows my bra straps and I have to pull it up, there is tons of room everywhere, and I have at least a few inches of spaces around my tummy area. SUPER obvious difference. 

The shorts used to fit super snug around the waist and my belly filled out the front part to the max.  My legs even filled them up alot.  Not anymore....they are droopy and saggy in the booty as well as the legs. 

I think I am ready to retire these clothes! What do you think?

It's the little things...

Sometimes it is the little things that can make you feel like a million bucks.  I was so excited to realize in church today that I could cross my legs and it was actually pretty comfortable.  I haven't done that "like a lady" in a LONG time.  I'm trying to enjoy the journey, count my blessings, and take note of the changes.  Step by step, little by little, changes are happening!